MIDDLETON — The voice that guided Richard Penney back to the edge of Lakeshore Drive Thursday night was unyielding.

“Continue walking this way, right down to the end of the road ...” the voice demanded, reverberating through the treetops on the edge of the waterfront. “No one will hurt you.”

For more than two hours, police had attempted to persuade Penney to surrender, and to release the woman he was allegedly holding captive, armed with a high-powered assault rifle.

Penney was finally convinced to emerge from the home by a State Police SWAT team negotiator at 5:07 p.m.

The negotiator used the public address system installed in one of the police cruisers at the scene to call out directions to the 35-year-old.

“That's it,” the police officer could be heard saying. “I can see you now. Put your hands above your head.”

Soon after, the commands ceased, and Penney was loaded into a waiting ambulance, ending a tense standoff that police say carried the potential for “extreme violence.”

During a news conference held in the evening at Middleton's Old Town Hall, State Police Director Col. Robert Quinn hailed the officers in Middleton for their composure during the episode.

“It was a tremendous effort, and the chief should be proud of his officers and the first responders, and we're just grateful that it ended as peacefully as it did,” he said.

Penney is facing charges of felony theft of a firearm, armed robbery and kidnapping, according to Middleton Police Chief Randy Sobel. He is scheduled to be arraigned today at 11 a.m. in Rochester Circuit Court.

Middleton Police Sgt. Jason Lamontagne said the incident began when Penney allegedly broke into his brother's home and stole numerous weapons. Taken were “multiple” handguns and long guns, Lamontagne said, including a fully automatic AK-47.

After stealing the weapons, Penney allegedly traveled on foot to Lakeshore Drive and entered a home near the intersection with Karen Road. It was there that he held a woman hostage.

Police say the woman was not a family member. They continue to investigate whether she had any prior interaction with Penney.

Police evacuated the neighborhood, and the Town Hall was opened as a shelter as a standoff ensued. A 22-member state police SWAT team amassed at the scene, carrying three negotiators.

The man involved in the standoff was described in police radio communications as approximately 6 feet, 2 inches tall, and weighing about 220 pounds. He was said to be wearing a black coat and pants.

Radio reports also indicated the man was homeless, and that he was known to sleep in abandoned cars and sheds in town, as well as homeless shelters.

Joining State Police and authorities from Middleton at the scene were officers from Wolfeboro, Farmington, Milton, Wakefield, Strafford County Sheriff's Department and elsewhere in the area.

Police stopped school buses from entering the area and advised the school to go into a “soft lockdown.” A state police helicopter was also visible overhead during portions of the afternoon.

At 4 p.m. Superintendent of Schools Steve Welford said all Middleton students were being kept at the Henry Wilson Memorial School in Farmington until the Middleton scene cleared. Students are typically released from Farmington at 2:30 p.m. and sent home on buses to Middleton.

Welford said parents had been notified through an emergency notification system their children were being held and many parents had already driven to the Farmington middle school to pick up their children. Children were supervised by school personnel, Welford said.

Welford also noted there were two middle school basketball games scheduled so the home team was expected to have a full house.

The crisis ended shortly after 5 p.m., and Middleton middle school students, who attend school in Farmington, were cleared to leave the school and go home. They had been held at the school as a precaution.

One resident who was caught-up in the standoff was 57-year-old Gerard Whynott. He saw cruisers driving quickly up and down the road, then spotted Penney in the street. Whynott said he recognized Penney's jacket, after having seen him in the neighborhood before.

“We didn't see a rifle or anything,” he remembered.

Whynott said he read about the standoff online, and loaded up his own .357 revolver for protection.

Another resident who was impacted was Mike Dello, who lives on Sunrise Drive. Thursday's incident came at a time when power was already out in the neighborhood due to high winds, adding to the confusion for Dello and other residents. Dello said he came home to find armed police officers on patrol.

“You just get a little apprehensive as to what's going on when you don't know what's going on,” he said.